Politics & Government

News Brief: Grim COVID Data, Nuclear Sub Technology, Gymnasts Blast FBI

8:22am September 16, 2021

A staggering number of people are still getting COVID-19. The U.S. will share nuclear submarine technology with Australia. Gymnasts criticized the FBI's mishandling of their sexual abuse allegations.

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Politics & Government

U.S. Officials Will Share Nuclear Sub Technology With Australia

8:22am September 16, 2021

President Biden is taking the rare step of sharing U.S. nuclear-powered submarine technology with Australia. He has been working to focus his foreign policy on the threat posed by China.

4 Gymnasts Testify In Senate Panel Hearing On Bungled Sexual Abuse Probe

8:22am September 16, 2021

by Tom Goldman

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and three other elite gymnasts testified during a Capitol Hill hearing into how the FBI and USA Gymnastics mishandled the sexual abuse claims against Larry Nassar.

Politics & Government

How The California Recall Election Will Affect The Republican Party

6:48am September 16, 2021

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, about what the failed California recall election means for the momentum of the Republican party.

President Biden speaks to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday during the virtual announcement of a trilateral defense partnership with Australia and the U.K. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also joined in.

Why Biden Is Taking The Rare Step Of Sharing Nuclear Submarine Tech With Australia

9:34pm September 15, 2021

by Ayesha Rascoe

The Australian navy will be able to patrol faster and farther with the submarine technology. The rare move comes as the United States looks for ways to counter China.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses reporters Tuesday in Sacramento after beating back the recall effort that aimed to remove him from office.

Efforts To Recall Governors Are Common, But They Rarely Succeed

7:47pm September 15, 2021

by Scott Neuman

Only four governors in U.S. history have faced a recall election — and California's Gov. Gavin Newsom is one of two who managed to survive the vote.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, left, waves to the crowd accompanied by his partner, Marlon Reis, in 2019. The two were married Wednesday, marking the first same-sex marriage of a sitting governor.

Politics & Government

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' Wedding Marks 1st Same-Sex Marriage Of Sitting Governor

7:39pm September 15, 2021

by Bente Birkeland

Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who in 2018 became the first openly gay man ever elected governor in the U.S., wed his longtime partner on Wednesday.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sought to reassure China's military that the U.S. wasn't planning an attack in the final months of former President Donald Trump's term in office, according to the book Peril.

Gen. Milley Defends His Call To A Chinese General About Trump's Rhetoric And The U.S.

7:39pm September 15, 2021

by Bill Chappell

A new book, Peril, says the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was attempting to head off a potential armed conflict when he called his Chinese counterpart twice in Trump's final months in office.

Steam rises from the Miller coal power plant in Adamsville, Ala., in April. An industry group says a climate plan in Congress would shut down all U.S. coal plants by 2030 or earlier.

Congress Is Debating Its Biggest Climate Change Bill Ever. Here's What's At Stake

7:11pm September 15, 2021

by Jeff Brady

Climate measures in a massive $3.5 trillion economic plan would transform the U.S. energy system. They are crucial for meeting President Biden's ambitious climate goals but face powerful opposition.

How Republicans Plan To Win Back Control Of Congress In The 2022 Midterms

6:07pm September 15, 2021

by Deirdre Walsh

Republicans believe the 2022 midterms will hinge on President Biden's handling of the economy. Strategists and campaign officials say voters across the U.S. rank higher prices above all other issues.